In the parliamentary letter[1] of October 16, 2018, the undersigned promised to commission research into innovations for improving the service of the application and issuance process of travel documents. In the context of the modernization of the travel document policy [2] and spurred on by the motion of Member Sjoerdsma et al.[3], our commitment is to achieve the maximum possible flexibility in the application and issuance process of travel documents, particularly for Dutch citizens abroad. This must not create unacceptable vulnerabilities in terms of security and privacy.
To this end, in addition to the innovations already completed and underway, we have launched two studies:
A further inventory of the possibilities and advantages and disadvantages of decoupling the issuance of biometrics and the (digital) application for the physical document, in order to be more flexible with the time of appearance for applications abroad.
An international comparative study (conducted by consultancy firm PBLQ) on the application and issuance process of passports for residents and non-residents, looking at which elements of this are applicable in the Dutch context and contribute to improving services. The countries involved in this study are Estonia, Finland, the Czech Republic, Great Britain and Canada. This research has been completed and can be found in the appendix.
We hereby inform you of the (initial) results of these surveys.
Study on decoupling biometrics from application
In the current Dutch passport process, in-person identification takes place at the time of application and the applicant provides biometrics. The Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations (BZK) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (BZ) are looking into the possibilities of having the inclusion of biometrics and identification separate from the application. This may offer Dutch citizens abroad more flexibility. They can appear at their convenience (within a period to be determined) for identification and issue of biometrics. This means that during that period, the issued biometrics must be kept for the purpose of a future application. The passport can then be applied for at a later time and digitally.
To delineate the study, an initial small-scale inventory was conducted. Two specific issues were identified for further investigation. First, decoupling the issuance of biometrics from the application requires the storage of biometrics in the interim period. A reliable link needs to be made between the biometrics issued at the time, the application made later, and the legality of obtaining a new passport. Second, it should be investigated whether the facial image and fingerprint, if older than 10 years, are stable enough to enable qualitative identity verification. These subtopics will be investigated further in the coming period. The inventory further shows that in Estonia and Finland, reuse of biometric data, used for a previous application, is possible for a number of years after the passport has been issued and under conditions. At Belgium's foreign missions, the possibility of issuing biometric data, for one year prior to the passport application, is offered. The design of this process in these countries will be involved in the further study. We expect this study to be completed by spring 2020.
International competition travel documents
The international comparative research has provided insights and partly new possible innovations in the following areas[4]:
Requesting digitally
Live enrollment (on-site biometric data collection)
Decoupling issuance of biometrics from application
Central storage of application data and transparency scheme
Social footprint (social footprint)
Expand number of application sites through cooperation with other countries
Registering data from (source) documents of non-residents in the BRP
The insights and (possible) innovations in these areas, their applicability to the Dutch passport process and developments in this regard are briefly explained below.
Requesting digitally
Digital application includes being able to submit a passport application digitally and uploading and sending documents digitally (currently possible in Finland, Great Britain and Estonia). Now a Dutch application is made at the counter and documents must be handed over there. The Ministry of BZ is working on a phased and secure digitization of the application process, where visits to an application counter will still be necessary for identity determination and biometrics issuance. A digital application form has been developed that can be completed online. In mid-September 2019, BZ started a test of this digital application form for passport applications at the Dutch embassy in Bern, Switzerland. At this stage, the form still needs to be printed, signed and taken to the embassy. After this, work is underway to upload the required additional documents with the application. By sending the application form and requested documents digitally and securely to the back office, the process can be further accelerated. The end goal is to roll out the entire digital application, upload and submission process globally. The progress of digital application is included in the State of the Consular which the Minister of Foreign Affairs sends to the House of Representatives annually.
Live enrollment (on-site biometric data delivery)
Live enrollment is taking biometric data (facial image, fingerprints and signature)[5] from the applicant on the spot, at the counter, with photographic equipment. This thus avoids going to a photographer. An applicant now only needs to go to the issuing authority for a new passport. It also prevents the possibility that an application may be refused because the quality of the photograph is inadequate. It also offers several advantages for the reliability of an application. It allows full assurance that an applicant matches the biometrics provided, including by ruling out the possibility that photos have been manipulated. Live enrollment of the facial image therefore offers a very effective approach against frauds such as look-alike (doppelganger) and morphing (two facial images are merged into one image that contains the characteristics of both).
The Rijksdienst voor Identiteitsgegevens (RvIG), an implementing organization of the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations, is conducting research in 2019 on the effects of live enrollment of facial images. Practical trials are taking place in the municipalities of Utrecht and Tilburg. Initial findings of the study show that it contributes to reducing fraud risks and that a majority of participating citizens are positive about its introduction. With the research results, an application process will be developed with live enrollment of the facial image. It is also being investigated for implementation over time. In close coordination with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the (im)possibilities of making this approach globally conclusive will be explicitly examined. Your Chamber will be informed about this in June 2020.
Decoupling issuance of biometrics from application
This innovation is currently being considered separately in the first-mentioned study on decoupling biometrics issuance from an application (see I). In Estonia, biometrics issuance is a stand-alone process, but the data are only stored for a limited period of up to two months. This means that once biometrics are issued, a person has two months to apply for a passport for which these biometric data are used. This option may be of interest to non-resident Dutch citizens if it is possible to have a multi-year period between issue and application.
Central storage of application data and transparency scheme
For Dutch residents, location-independent applications are not yet possible due to the current local storage of application data at the municipality of which the applicant is a resident. Thus an application can now only be made in one's own municipality. To improve the passport process, in June 2019 the Minister of the Interior and Kingdom Relations informed your Chamber of his intention[6] to transfer the local application data to one central (basic) register. The issued biometrics will be stored separately from this centrally in a government data center. The centrally stored fingerprints will be removed after the passport is issued. Other stored application data are subject to retention periods in the Netherlands.[7]
Estonia has a system of long-term central storage of application data, including fingerprints, from a person's first application. For citizens' confidence in it, Estonia operates a so-called transparency scheme. This means that citizens can see when their data has been consulted. Misuse is subject to severe penalties. In his letter[8] of July 2019 to the House of Representatives, the Minister of the Interior and Kingdom Relations outlined his intentions on the direction by citizens of their personal data in the government, including: a citizen should not only be able to see the data, but also to see what it is used for and more easily find the way to have one or more data changed. This mainly involves the personal data in the relevant (existing) basic registries. Storing the application data from someone's first application requires an adjustment of the current retention periods. This adjustment is not currently foreseen.
Social footprint (social footprint)
By social footprint here is meant that the applicant provides data on his participation in social life and gives permission for it to be verified, with third parties certifying that the applicant exists and the information provided is correct (This is possible in "common law" countries such as Great Britain and Canada; in these countries there is no population registry and, in practice, one often does not have to appear when applying for a means of identity). For the Netherlands, such a method of establishing identity is usually not necessary due to the presence of a central population registry, the Basic Registration of Personal Data (BRP). In doing so, it offers no alternative to appearing in person when applying for or issuing biometrics. Whether a social footprint has added value for certain groups of non-residents will be further investigated by the Minister of Foreign Affairs. In doing so, together with the Minister of the Interior and Kingdom Relations, the connection with other ongoing initiatives, such as the aforementioned research into live enrollment of the facial image, will be expressly examined.
Expanding the number of application sites through cooperation with other countries
This possibility involves making agreements with other countries about application locations so that a passport can be applied for at a representation of another country if the Netherlands does not have a consular desk locally. Dutch citizens abroad can now apply for a passport at approximately 108 consular desks of embassies and consulates general, at 12 designated (border) municipalities, during embassy on-site consultation hours with mobile devices, and at a number of contracted and trained external service providers (EDVs). The way Canada has agreed on this with some countries may be an interesting additional option to this. The Minister of Foreign Affairs will explore whether there are opportunities and advantages to enter into similar cooperation with like-minded countries, for example in countries or places where the Netherlands does not have its own diplomatic representation with a consular desk.
Registering data from (source) documents of non-residents in the BRP
Source documents that non-residents with Dutch nationality bring with them when applying for a passport, which could be a birth certificate, for example, do not always lead to adjustment of the BRP. This is because the persons taking the application are not always authorized to update the BRP. With a subsequent application for a travel document, a citizen must then bring the same documents again. BZ is therefore investigating the possibilities of becoming a Designated Administrative Body (ABO) for non-resident Dutch citizens, so that people who come to embassies, consulates general and EDVs to apply for a travel document can also be registered as non-residents in the BRP, or - if they are already registered here - personal data (such as address and nationality) can be amended or supplemented if they are incorrect or incomplete. Currently, a more limited set of data is registered of non-residents than of resident Dutch citizens in the BRP. The Minister of the Interior and Kingdom Relations will conduct further research into the advantages and disadvantages of an amendment to the Key Register of Persons Act (Wet Basisregistratie personen, BRP) so that data from relevant (source) documents of non-residents with Dutch nationality can be registered in the BRP in the event of repeat applications for a travel document.
The international comparative study conducted by PBLQ shows that Dutch passport services for residents and non-residents are at a high level. The following can be mentioned in that context: a large number of application locations and fast service, and for Dutch nationals abroad the additional facilities such as border municipalities, including the municipal desk at Schiphol Airport, and the deployment of EDVs. Since early November, Dutch citizens in Perth, Australia, can go to an EDV to apply for a travel document. BZ will be expanding the deployment of EDVs to Birmingham in the coming period.[9] Posts are also deploying the mobile fingerprint recording device (MVA) more intensively.[10] These aspects were also identified in the study on consular services initiated by the Chamber and conducted by RAND Europe.[11] The Netherlands is already working on a number of innovations highlighted in the study, such as digital applications, live enrollment, disconnecting the issue of biometrics from the application for a travel document and a central register of application data.
This does not alter the fact that the undersigned are also considering other innovations to (further) ease and modernize the process for the applicant, within at least the preconditions of security and reliability. In that context, the Minister of the Interior proposes to conduct further research into the social footprint for non-residents in specific situations and into opportunities for cooperation with other countries regarding passport services abroad. The Minister of the Interior and Kingdom Relations proposes to investigate the advantages and disadvantages of amending the BRP Act to allow the registration in the BRP of data from relevant source documents of non-residents with Dutch nationality for the purpose of repeat applications.
In addition to international comparative research, the Ministries of the Interior and BZK maintain contact with other countries about their travel document processes. In September 2019, BZ and BZK jointly organized a first international expert meeting on the travel document process abroad. The goal is to create a platform to inspire and learn from each other in the design and modernization of the travel document process. Delegations from Switzerland, Denmark, Belgium, Lithuania, Spain, Germany, Finland, Estonia and Ireland participated. It provided insights on, for example, dealing with the appearance requirement, (re)use of biometrics, digitization and passport shipment. For example, Belgium and Finland check identity in the back office partly using facial recognition technology and old and new passport photos. The Netherlands is committed to continuing this platform in order to build a stable network with other countries to share challenges around passport applications and issuance, specifically for nationals abroad, and to look for solutions together. The expert meeting is expected to be continued by other (participating) countries in the coming years.
In June 2020, we will inform your Chamber about the research into disconnecting the issuance of biometrics from the application, the elaboration of an application process with live enrollment of the facial image and the research into whether this process can be implemented in time, the further research into the social footprint, the cooperation with other countries and the possible adaptation of the BRP Act. In doing so, attention will be paid to the connection between the various investigations. In addition, the Minister of the Interior and Kingdom Relations will keep your Chamber informed about the progress of the process for improving the travel document system including a central register of application data, as he reported earlier this year.[12]
The Minister of the Interior and Kingdom Relations,
drs. R.W. Knops
&
Foreign Minister,
Stef Blok
[1] Parliamentary Papers II, 2018/19 session, 25 764, no. 112.
[2] Parliamentary Papers II, 2018/19 session, 25 764, no. 120.
[3] Parliamentary Papers II, 2017/18 session, 34 950 V, no. 11.
[4] In the first four areas mentioned, research is already being conducted or implemented by the Netherlands.
[5] Where in the current application process, only fingerprints and signature are recorded on the spot.
[6] Parliamentary Papers II, 2018/19 session, 25 764, no. 120.
[7] The retention periods for application records are 11 years for a document valid for five years or less, and 16 years for a document valid for more than five years, respectively.
[8] Parliamentary Papers II, 2018/2019 session, 32 761, no. 147.
[9] Parliamentary Papers II, 2018/2019 session, 35 000-V, no. 87.
[10] Parliamentary Papers II, 2018/2019 session, 35 000-V, no. 87.
[11] Parliamentary Papers II, 2018/19 session, 32 734, no. 38.
[12] Parliamentary Papers II, 2018/19 session, 25 764, no. 120.
